The Real Blue Wall. Grant, Jenkins, Graham
I’ve been watching UM football for 25 years now. When I saw Hutchinson and Ojabo in 2021, I felt pretty confident I was watching the best duo of UM edges during my viewing history.
Watching the pressure and run wall the interior D-linemen of Mason Graham, Chris Jenkins, and Kenneth Grant is starting to give off greatness vibes as well. I’m not sure what the charting would say, but they seem to pass the eye test as best interior UM d-line of my lifetime.
Thoughts? Complaints?
October 10th, 2023 at 8:20 AM ^
Wrestlers also develop a rare breed of mental toughness, embracing the hardest of grinds every day. But you are correct, wrestlers don't need to be taught leverage and often times have incredible hips for big men.
October 9th, 2023 at 9:15 PM ^
And Graham playing with one proverbial hand tied behind his back......thats how legends are born!
October 9th, 2023 at 9:51 PM ^
Bite 'em Calvin. Oh, wait. He was a linebacker. Nevermind.
October 9th, 2023 at 9:54 PM ^
My thoughts are that I'll complain later after we win our first Championship since 1997!!!
October 10th, 2023 at 6:26 AM ^
National championship.
Big Ten titles are nothing to sneeze at.
October 9th, 2023 at 9:57 PM ^
The starting tandem of Taylor and Branch on the 2006 team were very good. 2023 has more depth, and Graham has been amazing in his return to the field.
October 9th, 2023 at 10:12 PM ^
*Kris
October 9th, 2023 at 10:24 PM ^
Michigan has had a lot of talent come through the defensive line, especially under Jim Harbaugh. Ojabo before he got hurt was more athletic and faster than anyone on the D line. Brandon Graham also combination of quick, fast, and huge. Hutch maybe not as big, but quick and agile. I am enjoying this run. Michigan is so deep at many positions and groups.
October 9th, 2023 at 11:08 PM ^
Dave Gallagher, Curtis Greer, and Chris Hutchinson would like a word as well.
October 9th, 2023 at 11:25 PM ^
I'm not disagreeing with any of the above listings, but just to show how much the game has changed (and how old I am), let me point out Henry Hill from 1968 - 1970. He began as a walk-on, later became co-captain, voted MVP of the 1970 team and also was an All-American.
Oh, yeah, he was all of 5'11" and weighed 200 pounds and played a position listed as defensive guard back then which I believe is the current defensive tackle position.
October 10th, 2023 at 11:40 AM ^
Thank you Blue,
In keeping with your reference to how the game has changed and our ages:
Don Warner was a walk-on who started every game in 1973 as a nose guard at 5’10” and 195 pounds. Very tough, quick, and unblockable.
October 9th, 2023 at 11:17 PM ^
What I find fascinating about this defense, and this might be because of quality of teams played, but there are studs on this defense that we just have heard very little about. Barrett is the main one that comes to mind. Really until the Nebraska game where Jenkins was unblockable, we really had not heard much of his name. I think a lot of it is because we are so deep and dominating teams so bad that there just aren’t a lot of snaps happening for all these guys. I know a lot of people are just waiting to see how we do against Penn State but I cannot wait until the MSU game. The way we have come out in these last two away games makes me think that night could be a special night for our team. I am confident they will play inspired due to the incident in the tunnel last year. Jim is not going to call off the dogs until a point is proven. Go Blue!
October 9th, 2023 at 11:27 PM ^
Either this squad or 97'. Hard to beat Steele, renes, Josh Williams, feazell, James hall at rush end. Imagine that group with David Bowens.
October 9th, 2023 at 11:43 PM ^
It is the deepest d-line in the Harbaugh era, which is probably the most important characteristic. Goode and Benny would start on a lot of teams. The interior DL has three NFL quality guys and two solid starters. They’ve worn out offensive lines by rotating heavily to keep guys fresh, which pays dividends by the third quarter.
October 9th, 2023 at 11:43 PM ^
It is the deepest d-line in the Harbaugh era, which is probably the most important characteristic. Goode and Benny would start on a lot of teams. The interior DL has three NFL quality guys and two solid starters. They’ve worn out offensive lines by rotating heavily to keep guys fresh, which pays dividends by the third quarter.
October 10th, 2023 at 1:38 AM ^
They look great currently, but the proof will be against PSU, OSU, and in post-season play.
The 2006 DL looked great until the final 2 games of the season.
October 10th, 2023 at 2:37 AM ^
So many good points about our defensive line have been made in this thread. I honestly can't add to or dispute the many names listed so far, but I do want to add two particular thoughts as to why we're seeing our interior defensive line potentially historically our best ever:
1) This unit personifies the adage "steel sharpens steel". This is the 3rd consecutive year of honing this unit by practicing against the best offensive line in college football---and yes, I honestly believe this year's O-line is now rounding into form nearly at the level we saw with our two consecutive Moore Award winning units.
2) Mike Elston. I could stop right there after listing his name only, but I won't. Elston has quietly molded these guys individually---and as a unit---into something that's as fearsome as any we've ever seen. With Mason Graham now back in the rotation , the defense is going to take it to something next-level. I dare any opposing coordinator to double up on Graham, Grant, and/or Jenkins---it just springs others loose to make the plays. Just watch, our edges and LBs will be going statistically crazy as a result. Sub in Goode or Benny, and we barely skip a beat.
October 10th, 2023 at 8:31 AM ^
Amen. Elston deserves his own appreciation thread. He's not your stereotypical DL coach either, hopped up on caffeine and screaming, "Attack, attack attack!" (Edit: my comment about Coach Herb could be misinterpreted...)
Also, I don't recall, was Elston instrumental in us landing either of these studs we have, Graham or Grant? Pretty sure Jenkins preceded his hire.
I hope we can keep Elston happy and here for a very, very long time.
October 10th, 2023 at 10:06 AM ^
Because this is just Elston's 2nd season back at Michigan, I'm pretty sure he didn't have a hand in recruiting any of the 2-deep on the defensive line. I don't remember, though, the exact date of Elston's hire, so he might have been on-board by the time the final pieces were added to the 2022 class. I'll defer to anyone who is more plugged into recruiting than I am.
October 10th, 2023 at 8:46 AM ^
D-line and a top flight qb wins championships. We have both and I'm enjoying every second. I want this team to punish every team they play and each time it's a little bit of relief after a tough ~20 years for UM football (not that all those years were "bad", of course).
October 10th, 2023 at 11:32 AM ^
In the late 3rd quarter of the Minnesota game I text my U of M buddies and say who is a better interior Dlineman ever at Michigan then Mason Graham. I got: Renes, Hurst, Branch but almost to a fan we all said the same. When Mason Graham walks out he is likely going to be the very best and at top of the list. His stats from interior dlineman are video game like!
October 10th, 2023 at 12:13 PM ^
Its a true embarrassment of riches.
I'd also just note that all three of these guys were high three stars/low four stars. Grant was #444, Graham was #247, and Jenkins was #513 in the composite rankings on 247. The scouting and coaching has been phenomenal.
Caveats apply that you need high-end talent at certain skill positions, but there are other positions where I have complete trust that the three star recruit this staff targets will play like a well-developed 4/5 star in 2-3 years under the program: S, CB, DL, OL, TE, RB. I think the jury is still out on development of LBs and the QB.
October 10th, 2023 at 12:36 PM ^
They are all creatures...its a pleasure to watch this DLine
Wave after wave of pressure.....good luck
October 10th, 2023 at 1:27 PM ^
Gary was the biggest disappointment. His 3rd (Junior) and final season was horrific for the program. Think of the players who came back for a fourth or fifth year after 2020 and marvel at the difference for us fans.
He may have done what was best for his career, but not for the fans (like me) by any measure. Give me Barrett, Sainristil, Corum, Ross, etc any day.